IOWA
Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests
For immediate release: Friday, June 3, 2016
Statement by David Clohessy of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314 566 9790,davidgclohessy@gmail.com)
We urge Sioux City Catholic officials to quickly adopt the abuse prevention moves that a brave abuse victim is advocating.
[KTIV]
Tim Lennon was raped as a child by Fr. Peter B. Murphy in Iowa.
Lennon recently traveled from his California home to Sioux City, where he held a support group meeting for other victims and met with Bishop Walter Nickless, pushing for specific, proven measures that would better safeguard the vulnerable and heal the wounded.
We are grateful that Nickless has pledged to spread the word about Fr. Murphy. But much more needs to happen.
Lennon proposes that church officials
–post names of child molesting clerics – proven, admitted and credibly accused – on church web sites, for the safety of kids and the healing of victims, and
–turn every abuse report over to police, not just those deemed “credible” by biased, untrained diocesan staffers.
He’s absolutely right. These steps are “no-brainers.” They should have been taken long ago. We applaud Lennon for not only voicing his own pain but for seeking reforms that will help make other victims feel better and make other kids be safer.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.